Easy Vegetable Soup

Cooler weather brings a variety of soups in to our rotation. When I am short on time, I throw this together.

The Players

1 medium onion

1 quart tomato juice

1 12 ounce can diced (or stewed works) tomatoes

1 12-16 ounce bag frozen vegetables

2 bouillon cubes

2 cups water

The Fun

Saute onion in large soup pot.

Add remaining ingredients.

Stir until thoroughly heated.

Serve with your favorite side– salad, bread or something unique. Often times I will throw some quinoa in or serve it over quinoa in a bowl to add some protein.

White Chicken Chili: Dairy Free Style

I was once asked if I ever try the recipes that Erin posts on this blog, and the answer is a resounding YES!  This one was a big hit and will definitely be a winter time favorite, as we tend to eat a lot of soups come fall/winter.  All I did was take Erin’s White Chicken Chili recipe and create a dairy free version for our home.

White Chicken Chili

Another favorite soup recipe that my sister-in-law Krista shared with me is White Chicken Chili. She got this recipe from her college roommate and it is simple and easy. This is a meal with dairy that we enjoy every few months as a treat, but I am sure you could find some dairy-free substitutes if you wanted.

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken, cut into half inch pieces
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1.5 t. garlic powder
1 40 oz (2 lb 8 oz) can great white northern beans, drained and rinsed
2.5 c. chicken broth
1 can chopped green chilies
1 t. salt
1 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
1 t. pepper
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1 c. fat free sour cream
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream (or half and half or light cream)

Directions:
1. Sauté chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink.
2. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasoning.
3. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and whipping cream.
5. Top with cheese.

Enjoy,

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

I really enjoy eating homemade soups, so I am already posting my second soup recipe. This Chicken Wild Rice Soup recipe is from All Recipes and is one we eat every few weeks in our home.

Ingredients:
2 quarts chicken broth
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 cup dry white wine or additional chicken broth
3 cups cooked wild rice
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, combine the first nine ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, melt butter. stir in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in soup and wine or broth. Add rice and chicken; heat through.

You can see the picture below doesn’t look too creamy. I omitted the cream of mushroom soup and it was still tasty. I like it both ways, it just depends if you are more in the mood for a cream-based or broth-based soup. You can also see we ate it last time with cornbread, which is the recipe i will share on my next post.

Enjoy,

Southwest Soup plus Quinoa

A lady I worked with in Tulsa made this great southwest style soup for a work function, and I fell in love. I have been able to modify it in every country we have lived in, which is to say the recipe is quite flexible. Usually I would serve it with cornbread, but we did not have any in the house, nor the ingredients to make some, so I thought quinoa would add some nice heft to the recipe. You could also serve it over corn chips or something similar by draining more of the juices off of the ingredients or not adding tomato juice.

The Players

1 cup rinsed quinoa

1 1/2 cup water

1 cup black beans

1 cup ranch style beans

1 cup corn

2 cans Rotel

1 quart tomato juice

1 package taco seasoning

1 package powdered ranch dressing mix

The Fun

1. Boil water. Add quinoa. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Once done, remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, dump the rest of the ingredients in to a large sauce pan and cover. Allow to heat on medium, stirring occasionally. I try not to bring it to a boil, as I am impatient in waiting for it to cool.

3. Spoon some quinoa in to a bowl and then ladle the soup over the top.

I tend to mix mine up, while others in the family prefer to scoop to the bottom to get the quinoa. You can top with cheese, sour cream, avacado, etc, but we were low on groceries, so we ate it plain this last time.